Fanning the Flames of Vengeance
by Blaze the Dragon
Summary: Shadow, while on a mission for G.U.N. meets a mysterious figure, who has startling information for him. Rated T for future chapters intense violence and blood. Together, they prepare for a presumed dead villain's return. A romance sparks. OCxOC
1. A Chance Encounter

**I've been working on this for a good amount of time, on the side with other stories. the first chapter... Shadow is certainly in for a shock.**

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"Rouge… you're more trouble than ever this time. How is it that you've been captured by Dr. Eggman again!? Some spy you are…" Shadow said angrily to himself, racing through the Doctor's base in White Acropolis. Just an hour ago, he was given an assignment by GUN to recover Rouge.

Shadow's progress through Eggman's base was like a wildfire through a forest on a hot, dry day, moving quickly through the base, his resolve not faltering in any way possible, easily tearing apart the mechs that were guarding the base.

"This isn't even a challenge, just a major inconvenience. A waste of my time and skills" he said. He stopped however, when he saw a wall of flame in front of him.

"What!?" he asked himself, in disbelief. He'd never seen this in Eggman's defense system before. When he looked up, onto one of the walls lining the path through the base, he saw a scarlet and black hedgehog, looking eerily similar to himself. "Who are you supposed to be, and why do you look like me!?" Shadow asked, puzzled.

"My name is Kaen... but you won't need to know that for long. If you really are the 'Ultimate Life Form,' then let's see what you've got!" the scarlet stranger stated.

"Hah, you don't know who you're dealing with!" Shadow said. He then ran straight at Kaen.

"We'll see about that…" Kaen said. He then raced forward towards Shadow.

The two exchanged blows, their fists hitting each other's, cancelling out the blows.

"You're matching my blows… this should be an interesting fight!" Shadow said, interested, with his and Kaen's hands grappling each other.

"I couldn't agree more!" Kaen stated, amused.

"You're getting overconfident" Shadow said, sending a kick to Kaen's face, catching him on the mouth and sending him staggering.

"Not bad… You're better than I thought. And I thought they were all just rumors. Well then, I'll show you what I've got!" Kaen said, smirking. Dashing towards Shadow, he landed a clean uppercut to Shadow's chin, sending him into the air. Following Shadow, he leapt above Shadow and executed a descending kick, striking Shadow's abdomen and sending him landing on his back on the snow below.

"I see… so, there's more to you than just looking like me. But… that doesn't matter. Time to put this to rest" Shadow said. "Chaos… Spear!" he said, sending a couple of spears of lightning at Kaen.

"Unbelievable!" Kaen said, astonished. He wasn't able to dodge, Shadow's Chaos Spear attack was too fast, and struck him in the abdomen, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

"I told you, I'm the Ultimate Life Form" Shadow said, looking down on Kaen. However, he was breathing heavily, tired. He wasn't expecting Kaen to put up this much of a fight.

"I'm not… through yet! I won't lose, not now!" Kaen said, frustrated. He then stood up, breathing heavily, the fight taking its toll.

"I'll give you this much, you've got a lot of determination. But that won't help you…" Shadow said, amused. "Chaos…" he started to say.

"Chaos…" Kaen started.

"Control!" both Shadow and Kaen said at the same time. They then rushed at each other, each throwing a punch that connected with the other's face. The impact of the blows sent them spiraling through the air away from each other, sprawled on the ground. They both stood up, their breathing slow and ragged.

"You… how did you use Chaos Control, without using a Chaos Emerald? Only Black Doom and I could use it without an emerald" Shadow said, shocked.

"Allow… allow me to explain. My name is Kaen, as I stated earlier. But, what I didn't tell you is... I'm another project created by Professor Gerald, Project Kaen. He created me using your DNA. Project Kaen was top-secret, kept hidden from the scientists on board the ARK, Maria, the government, and you. I was created in case you were unable to destroy the Black Comet, and Black Doom, whether you were still in stasis, or killed" Kaen explained.

"Well, Black Doom, the Black Arms and the Black Comet are all gone. I took care of it all. That still doesn't explain why you've awakened though. Care to explain that?" Shadow asked.

"It's all very simple… Black Doom isn't dead. He still lives… he survived the fall. And this time, he's stronger than ever" Kaen said.

"What makes you so sure? Why should I trust you?" Shadow asked, getting on the defensive.

"You can't do this alone. Our father is stronger than ever, now. It'll take both of us to stop him. Besides, I'll help you rescue your friend. It's the least I can do, brother" Kaen said, smiling.

"Don't call me 'brother.' I don't care what you say, I'll never consider you my brother" Shadow said, annoyed.

"Fine… let's just find your friend already, _brother_" Kaen said, smirking as he heard Shadow make a sound of frustration. He then turned away from Shadow and started walking further through the base, laughing.

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**Well, that concludes Chapter 1. Kaen's such a smartass, don't you think? Anyway...**

**Until next time... later!**


	2. Brothers' Quarrels and a New Crush

**I'd personally like to thank my mentor, Shade105. He's always been an editor for my stories, and FtFoV is no exception! So in all chapters, there's a bit of Shade's teachings and suggestions.**

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"So… what's so special about Rouge anyway? I take it you have some sort of crush on her?" Kaen asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, we're just friends" Shadow answered, annoyed.

"Right… I don't believe you for a second, brother" Kaen said, smirking.

"You've called me 'brother' about twenty times already. If you say it one more time, I'll smash your face into one of the metal walls lining the path through this base!" Shadow snapped.

"Hah, yeah right. That's a laugh, you're just bluffing. For the Ultimate Life Form, you certainly are easy to figure out, brother" Kaen said, a grin plastered on his face.

Kaen and Shadow were almost at Rouge's cell in Eggman's White Acropolis Base. They had been met with considerable numbers on their way through, but easily crushed the resistance. Shadow however was getting frustrated with Kaen, and this recent statement made his blood boil.

Shadow rushed over and grabbed Kaen's head. Dashing straight for a nearby wall, he slammed Kaen's face into one of the walls, and then pulled his head back, looking at Kaen. Shadow smirked when he saw that Kaen's eyes had a dazed look to them.

"So… many… stars… and they're all swirling around my head…" Kaen said, confused.

"Let me make this clear to you, I never bluff. If I make a threat, I will carry it out!" Shadow said.

Kaen then shook his head, clearing himself up.

"Wow… you certainly have anger problems. It's no wonder the GUN commander tried to have you killed" Kaen said. He then realized his mistake, when he saw Shadow running straight at him. "And… I'm out of here" he said, running away.

"Useless…" Shadow said, frowning to himself. "Chaos Control!"

Kaen, meanwhile, had stopped.

"He's going to try and use Chaos Control to stop me. Well… he'll find out why my name is Kaen" Kaen said to himself. Placing his right arm over his left shoulder, he took a ready stance. "Chaos…"

Shadow then appeared in front of him, in the air, in a descending kick.

"Flare!" Kaen shouted. Throwing his arm out in front of Shadow, a fireball was unleashed from his palm.

"What?" Shadow stated, in shock. Struck by the fireball, as he was too close to use Chaos Control in time, he was sent reeling into one of the base's metal walls.

"Did you really think I'd let you just catch me by surprise? I knew you'd try something like that" Kaen said, a smug look on his face.

"You're not as stupid as I thought. Anyway, enough talk… we're close to Rouge's cell" Shadow said.

They were at a cell complex in Eggman's base, searching along the doors.

"I'll get Rouge out of her door. Stay here, and make sure that none of Eggman's mechs show up. If any of them give you trouble, take them apart" Shadow said. He then walked further down the hall, searching along the doors for Rouge.

"Hmph… he certainly thinks he's incredibly important… egomaniac" Kaen said, annoyed.

"I heard that!" Shadow shouted from down the hall.

Kaen then heard sobbing coming from one of the rooms in the hallway, and ran towards the door.

"Who could that be?" he asked himself.

Kaen broke down the door, and found a light brown vixen inside, no older than sixteen, with her back turned and kneeling on the floor, her wrists cuffed together and her ankles shackled to the floor with chains. Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was dressed in a green undershirt, a white top over it, and brown shorts with a studded belt, as well as wearing brown boots and white gloves with green cuffs.

"Hey… are you alright?" Kaen asked.

"Who said that?" the vixen asked, startled.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help. Let me break those chains" Kaen said. He then walked over to her and grabbed the chains in both of his hands. Pulling his hands away from each other, the chains fell to the ground with little effort, as if he was merely tearing through paper.

"Why are you helping me?" the vixen asked, curious.

"Because, I doubt you deserve to be a prisoner, especially to someone like the Doctor" Kaen said. He then brought his hand down onto the chains tying the vixen's hands together and cut through them with a clean chop.

The vixen stood up and turned around to face Kaen, her face inches away from his as she turned around. Kaen was able to see her face clearly, and marveled at her green eyes, which shone like emeralds in sunlight. His cheeks turning red, he stepped back a bit.

"My name's Stella. I'm a GUN agent, I was sent here to rescue Rouge the Bat. But, I didn't count on the security being tightened. Dr. Eggman must have been expecting GUN to send an agent, and tightened the security" the vixen said. "Who are you?" she asked, curious.

"My name's Kaen… I guess you could consider me Shadow the Hedgehog's brother" Kaen answered.

"Wait, so you're an Ultimate Life Form as well?" Stella asked, amazed.

"Not quite. Well, I suppose others could consider me that, the way I was created, but… well, I think actions speak louder than words. I'd rather be just a normal creature… rather than a genetically engineered one" Kaen said, a melancholy tone in his voice.

"Ahem… if you're done here…" Shadow said, having turned up behind Kaen and Stella, Rouge at his side.

"Oh… right" Kaen said, blushing again.

Unfortunately for Kaen, Shadow noticed Kaen's blush, and crossed his arms. "How pathetic!" Shadow said.

Kaen was furious at Shadow and walked over to him. Rouge walked next to Stella.

"Listen you; at least I have emotions besides rage, hatred and sadness! You're depressing to be around! I'd rather be happy, and I… don't know I feel about her, entirely. Besides, what's really pathetic is how you tried to kill everyone and destroy the world all because Maria died. One girl dies, and you try to kill everyone? That's path…" Kaen was whispering, but he was cut off when Shadow kicked Kaen in the stomach.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Maria like that! I've decided to put the past behind me, and that can't be done with you bringing it up!" Shadow snapped. "Chaos Control!" Shadow said. Slowing down time, he started pounding Kaen into the ground, mercilessly pummeling him with kicks and punches.

"Shadow, stop this now!" Rouge said, shocked.

Shadow had his foot on Kaen's chest.

"Wow… you have anger problems alright. Actually, I think you might even have an inferiority complex as well. You can't stand, or believe, that Sonic is just as fast or strong, as you are" Kaen said.

"Sonic isn't as strong as I am, you're wrong!" Shadow said, getting frustrated.

"Ah, and there's the denial. You definitely have an inferiority complex" Kaen said.

"No I don't!" Shadow said. He then started to glow a bright red color.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Rouge said to Stella. Grabbing Stella's hand, she rushed them out of the room, and further down the hallway.

"Chaos… Blast!" Shadow said. A crimson dome of chaos energy expanded from his body, and destroyed part of the wall behind Kaen.

"Oh great…" Kaen said, as he saw the crimson blast of energy heading straight towards him. Struck by the chaos energy, he was sent out of the room through the obliterated section of the wall, and over the cliff face the base rested on. As he fell, Kaen caught sight of an area in the wall he could grab, and grabbed it with his right hand.

"What just happened?" Stella asked Rouge.

"I don't know" Rouge answered.

Kaen was holding onto the cliff for dear life, determined not to fall into the chasm.

"Great… I'm too afraid to use Chaos Control! Why did I have to have acrophobia!?" Kaen asked himself. He was absolutely petrified, he felt helpless.

Stella jumped out of the hole in the wall and ran over to the edge of the cliff, trying to find Kaen. When she looked down, she gasped as she saw Kaen dangling from the cliff face, his grip loosening as time slipped past.

"Hurry, grab my hand!" Stella shouted out to Kaen, reaching her hand down.

Kaen tried to take Stella's hand, but the sudden movement caused his grip to loosen even more.

"It's no use! I can't grab on!" Kaen said. His grip finally gave out, and he started to plummet down the chasm.

"I hoped there would never be a time where I had to use this…" Stella said. Jets of water then came out of her palms, and she used them to propel herself down, underneath Kaen. "Don't worry, I've got you!" Stella said. She then unleashed a large burst of water underneath her, and shot straight up. Grabbing hold of Kaen, she was able to get both of them up to safety, rolling along the snow covered ground, and laying down next to each other, their hands being held by the other.

"Thanks" Kaen said, blushing as he realized that their hands were being held.

"It… was no problem" Stella answered, breathing deeply.

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**Aww... how sweet. So, any guesses as to what will happen? Remember to R&R!**

**Until next time... later!**


	3. Desperation and a Shocking Answer

**An interesting thing about Kaen, his acrophobia, right? Anyway, this chapter sees the introduction of Kaen's new rival.**

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"So… the way you were trembling while you were hanging onto the cliff, I'm guessing you're afraid of heights?" Stella asked Kaen, concerned.

"Yeah, I have acrophobia. I've had it, since, well… fifty years ago; as long as I can remember," Kaen answered.

"Fifty years? How could that happen?" Stella asked.

"You're acrophobic? Hah… so much for you being an Ultimate Life Form," Shadow said, having dropped down the hole with Rouge behind him. He was smirking at the new information.

"Shut it already Shadow, I'm not in the mood to deal with your insults. Besides, everyone has a flaw, a weakness. Yours happens to be your inferiority complex…" Kaen snapped, frustrated. "Anyway… the reason I have acrophobia is because, although I grew up on the Space Colony ARK like Shadow, Maria, the Professor, the scientists and the GUN agents… I was kept sealed in another room, with no windows or anything, as I was to be kept a secret even from the government. The door couldn't be opened from the inside or the outside, unless it was Professor Gerald who was opening the door," he continued, looking at Shadow.

Shadow, Rouge and Shadow remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt.

"I had no view of the Earth from my room, or of any heights, unlike everyone else aboard the ARK. When the military shut down the facility, I was still unconscious, when I was placed in a capsule in the laboratory, and shot down towards the Earth.

"When I regained consciousness, I was falling to the Earth, and because my first experience with heights was falling towards the Earth… it sent me into a state of shock. I thought I was going to die. An asteroid hit the capsule, and I was knocked unconscious again, thinking that I was dying, after the impact. Ever since then, I've been afraid of heights," he finished, explaining his fear to the others, who were listening with rapt attention.

"Wow… that's… intense," Rouge said, shocked.

"That's how I feel about lightning," Stella asked. "When I was about eight years old… my mother was killed by a lightning strike, and I saw it all happen. She was putting up a lightning rod on our roof, on a clear summer day, a breeze flowing through her hair. Suddenly, a freak lightning storm occurred, and… she was struck by the lightning, as opposed to the lightning rod.

"The impact of the strike knocked her off the roof and her body… it landed right next to me. I could see the expression on her face, a look of pain, shock and fear. She was also heavily burned from the lightning strike," she finished, tears rolling down her face.

Shadow had a solemn look on his face, due to what had been said by both Kaen and Stella.

"Well, we should head back. GUN is going to be wondering what happened," Rouge said.

"Agreed… let's just finish this mission already," Shadow said, visibly annoyed. He then started walking back through the base.

"Uh, Shadow… why don't we just use Chaos Control to get back to GUN headquarters?" Rouge asked.

"Because, going the long way, through the Doctor's mechs, will be more interesting," Shadow replied curtly.

"Sorry Shadow, but that's not going to happen. The commander will want you to return immediately. Chaos Control!" Kaen said. A bright flash of green light erupted, surrounding the four of them.

"Oh boy… this is going to cause some tension between them…" Stella said.

When the light faded, the four found themselves outside of GUN headquarters.

"Well, this is where I take my leave. I'm technically not a GUN agent, so I really don't have any business going inside. I'll see all of you soon," Kaen said. When he turned around to walk away, he was knocked to the ground by a blur. The force of the impact dazed him. "Okay… what was that all about?" he asked, his head spinning.

"Stella!" a gray rabbit said, standing next to her. His brown eyes seemed to dance, the light reflecting off of them. The tail of his red coat was moving in the breeze, and he stood there, a carefree look to his stance, and an excited tone in his voice.

"Man, we thought something bad happened to you!" a green lizard said, standing next to the rabbit. His violet eyes had a somber look to them, reflecting the anxiety and restlessness he had been feeling. His hands were wrapped in bandages, earning a puzzled look from Kaen.

_Are his hands hurt? Or, is he just wearing those bandages as part of an outfit?_ Kaen thought.

"Vincent? Chase? What are you guys doing here, how did you find me!?" Stella asked; a surprised, albeit ecstatic tone in her voice.

"We were worried about you," Chase answered, smiling.

Footsteps could be heard behind them, and turning around, a blue avian stood there, with ice blue eyes, blond hair, and he was wearing all black. On his head rested a headset usually seen on a DJ. Kaen stood up, and raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Who's this weirdo?" Kaen asked.

Rouge merely shrugged, interested as well.

"Jeez… with all that black he's wearing, you'd think he's a girl worried about looking thin. Oh, no, wait. He's not a girl worried about looking thin, he's an emo! Hey, do you cut your wrists every day, to try and get your mind off of your pathetic life?" Kaen rhetorically asked, scoffing at the avian's attire.

A smirk crossed Shadow's face, deeply amused by Kaen's remark.

"My name's Hero, Hero the Falcon," the avian said, shrugging off Kaen's comment.

"Hero? Oh wonderful… he's modest too!" Kaen quipped, sarcasm in his voice.

A frown played across Hero's face at Kaen's statement. Behind them, chuckling could be heard. Turning around, Kaen was shocked to see that it was Shadow who was laughing.

"Wait, you're laughing? I thought you were the dark, brooding type," Kaen asked, a grin on his face.

"I have a sense of humor too, and your comments, well, they were amusing," Shadow answered.

Hero looked over at Stella and smiled, walking over to her.

"Hello there," Hero said, shooting her a bright smile.

"Oh, um… hi…" Stella said, her voice shaking and her face turning red.

"So… how did someone as cute as you become a GUN agent?" Hero asked, curious.

At Hero's flirtatious comment, Kaen tensed up, his fists clenched in annoyance. Shadow could see Kaen's reaction and looked down at the ground, shaking his head.

_This isn't going to end well,_ Shadow thought.

_So, he likes her too eh? Well then, we'll see who she goes out with,_ Hero thought, having noticed Kaen's reaction.

"Well… this is only a temporary thing. I really want to be a nurse, to help people, but I need this job to pay for medical school," Stella answered. "So, what do you do?" she asked, interested.

"Oh, well I'm a DJ at a dance club… it doesn't pay much, but I like it, I just like music," Hero said.

Stella's eyes lit up with amazement at Hero's words.

"You're a DJ? That's awesome!" Stella said, surprised.

Kaen froze up at Stella's words.

_Great… this is just wonderful! I wonder what's next!_ Kaen thought, fuming.

All of them heard a door slide open behind them, and turned around to see the Commander, waiting in the doorway. His eyes, one blue and one amber; had a jovial look to them.

"So… the mission was a success then, Agent Shadow?" the Commander asked.

"Yes sir, just as you asked. There's also someone you should meet. He helped me recover Agent Rouge, and Agent Stella. This is Kaen," Shadow said, pointing over at Kaen.

The Commander looked over at Kaen, and brought his pistol out of its holster, aiming it at Kaen's head.

"You're one of those black creatures, those servants of Black Doom!" the Commander said.

"Uh, no I'm not… can't you see that I'm mostly scarlet? If I was one of the Black Arms, I'd be mostly black…" Kaen answered, rolling his eyes, annoyed.

"Sir, there's something you should know. Kaen here is from a sister project of Project Shadow. The project that he was created from is known as Project Kaen, which used my own genetic data to create Kaen. Professor Gerald worked on it in secret, keeping it hidden from the government, the other scientists, myself and Maria. He created Kaen as a fail-safe, in case, when the Black Comet came around, I was destroyed or I was still in stasis at Prison Island. Kaen was meant to destroy the Black Comet in case I wasn't able to," Shadow explained.

"Okay… so why is he active now?" the Commander asked, intrigued.

"Well… Black Doom is still alive. He survived the fall, which doesn't surprise me… Shadow has Black Doom's blood flowing through his veins, and he was able to survive falling from space. Black Doom didn't fall from as high of an altitude, therefore the chances of him surviving the fall are great," Kaen answered; a stern tone in his voice.

"That's not good…" Rouge said.

"Especially since Black Doom is stronger than before," Shadow said.

"Well, I should be going now," Kaen said. As he started to walk away, he could hear the Commander walking towards him. "Yes, is there something you wanted to ask me?" Kaen asked.

"Well, I've been thinking that, well, how would you like to be an agent for GUN? Of course, you wouldn't be a full agent; you would have to go through training by taking missions first. After all, then you could be near Shadow, Rouge and Stella more often," the Commander said.

"What!?" Shadow stated, shocked by the Commander's proposal.

"I think I'll pass… Shadow's already having enough of me, and I really don't think it would be wise to aggravate him further," Kaen said, shrugging.

"Are you sure?" Stella asked; a pleading look in her eyes.

"I see…" the Commander said. Turning to Stella, he frowned. "Where's Orphus, your partner?" he asked, puzzled as to why her partner wasn't there.

"Orphus was KIA, sir. When we were attacked trying to rescue Agent Rouge, I was captured, and he… was forced off of the cliff," Stella said, looking down at the ground, a melancholy tone in her voice.

"That's too bad, he was a good agent," the Commander said. "The fact remains though that you need a new partner."

Kaen sighed, looking down at the ground.

"Fine, I'll join…" he said dejectedly.

"Very well then, you'll be Stella's partner," the Commander said.

"So… why'd you change your mind?" Stella asked Kaen, confused.

"Well… when you said that you needed a partner, I decided to join. I'm not going to just abandon a friend like that," Kaen said, casting his eyes to the ground, embarrassed.

Stella ran over and hugged Kaen tightly, nearly breaking his spine.

"Thank you so much!" she said, ecstatic.

"It… was no problem, but, you're kind of… crushing me…" Kaen said between gasps of pain, his cheeks turning red.

Hero's face contorted into an expression of fury at the recent display.

_You win this round, Kaen, but this isn't over, not by a long shot!_ Hero thought, furious.

Vincent and Chase however grimaced at the sight.

"We know that all too well…" Chase said.

"Yeah, Stella's rather infamous among her friends for what we call her 'hugs of death.' She's stronger than she looks. Not quite as strong as Knuckles, but almost…" Vincent said, chuckling at the sight.

"Oh, sorry," Stella said. She then loosened her grip, and Kaen staggered out, sighing out of relief.

_Okay… that was close. But, should I do something, to show her how much I care for her?_ Kaen thought.

"Alright then, until you are given your next assignments, dismissed," the Commander said. Having said what he needed to, he strode back into the headquarters.

As Kaen walked into Station Square hours later, he looked up and around him, marveling at the buildings.

"Hard to believe they rebuilt this place so fast after Chaos destroyed it…" Kaen said to himself. He finally found what he was looking for, a florist, and walked over to him.

"How much is a bouquet of a dozen roses?" he asked the florist.

"Five-hundred rings, no less," the florist answered, a nasty tone in his voice.

Kaen merely walked away from the florist, frustrated.

_Five-hundred rings, for a dozen roses? What a rip off!_ he thought, fuming.

Another sight then caught his eyes and he looked at what drew his attention. Looking at the sign placed over the doorway, he read the sign.

"Glassblowing and staining lessons… twenty rings per lesson, ten easy lessons to help you get started on a creative path" Kaen said. "Interesting… maybe joining GUN will be worthwhile after all," he continued.

Over the course of the next week, Kaen and Stella had been sent on several missions, Stella being the senior member of the team, and the leader of the team, due to her previous experience in GUN. Their missions included espionage, sabotage, rescue and object recovery. During the missions, Kaen and Stella had been talking to each other, getting to know each other. Hero had the same idea though, and whenever Kaen and Stella weren't on missions, Hero would spend time with Stella alone. Kaen was taking the glassblowing and staining lessons, and was currently working on a creative project, a glass orb.

Eventually, Kaen and Stella were given another assignment, to recover a top-secret, very dangerous weapon that had fallen into Dr. Eggman's hands. Their orders were to either recover the weapon, or destroy it if left no other option. They had been trekking through the deranged technician's base in the desert, the base Sonic and his friends had infiltrated trying to stop the madman from taking over the world with the Eclipse Cannon.

"So, what all is so dangerous about this weapon anyway?" Kaen asked, curious.

"While it's not as powerful as the Eclipse Cannon, it's still incredibly dangerous. Just like the Eclipse Cannon, it's powered by the Chaos Emeralds. The more emeralds Eggman has, the more powerful the weapon will become, until all seven are placed inside of the weapon. That weapon, at full power, could enslave anyone in the world to Eggman. He could potentially use it to topple the world's leaders, or control anyone else to do so, especially Sonic or Shadow," Stella explained.

"I see…" Kaen said, looking down at the ground. Finally, they arrived at the center of the pyramid base, and the weapon was perched atop a pedestal. "This is too easy…" he said.

"I agree. This is too easy," Stella said.

As they expected, there was a trap waiting for them. But, what they didn't expect was a giant, mechanical dog, the Egg Cerberus, waiting for them.

"We are _not_ being paid enough for this…" Kaen and Stella said in unison, gaping at the size of the machine.

"You get the weapon, I'll take care of fido here," Kaen said.

Stella nodded and ran straight for the pedestal, while Kaen ran straight at the Egg Cerberus. Leaping into the air, he dove straight at the machine. "Time for you to feel the wildfire!" he said. Drawing his right arm over his left shoulder, he prepared to use Chaos Flare, only to stop when he saw Egg Cerberus open its maw. "Chaos Contr-" he started to say, trying to get out of there before it was too late. However, the machine snapped its hydraulic jaws around him.

"No, Kaen!" Stella shouted; her eyes wide with shock and dismay, though she was holding the weapon.

Stella could hear laughter booming through the walls and turned around. She glared at the newcomer.

"Dr. Eggman… I should've known you'd set another trap," she said, annoyed.

"Ah, my dear Stella, it's so good to see you again. Such a shame about your partner though. But, he should have known that a dog as big as Egg Cerberus here has a monstrous appetite," Eggman said.

Just then, banging sounds could be heard in the room. Whirling about, Stella's mouth fell agape as she saw Egg Cerberus' jaws being pried open. Prying them open was Kaen who had a look of rage on his face.

"Hey, who started the party without me?" he asked. Forcing the metallic jaws open wide enough, he leapt out of the mouth and stood to face Eggman.

"So, you are indeed like Shadow. Very interesting," Eggman said. "No matter, Egg Cerberus will take care of you soon enough" he continued.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you," Kaen said. Pointing behind him, Egg Cerberus careened over onto its side. "While I was inside that thing, I tore it apart from the inside out. Not all that challenging, to be honest" he continued.

"Kaen, catch it!" Stella shouted, seeing Eggman walking straight towards her. She threw the weapon towards Kaen, who caught it with ease.

"Now, Agent Stella, it seems that once again you've been captured" Eggman said. To make his point, he grabbed Stella by the shoulder and held a gun to her head. "Now then, Kaen was it? Give me the weapon back, or she gets it. Place the weapon on the ground and back off" he continued.

"Kaen, don't do it!" Stella shouted.

"No, Stella… I'm not going to put you in danger" Kaen said. Stepping towards Eggman, he placed the weapon on the ground and stepped back, away from it.

"There, that's a good hedgehog" Eggman said. He then pushed Stella back towards Kaen, and walked over to the weapon, picking it up.

"Chaos… Flare!" Kaen shouted. A fireball erupted from his palm, and struck the weapon, knocking it into the air.

"No!" Eggman shouted, fearful.

Kaen leapt into the air and caught it.

"Obviously this thing's too dangerous to be left in your hands. But, there's the fact that you'll constantly try to steal it. So, the only smart thing to do is…" Kaen said, leaving off. Placing the weapon on the ground, he then stepped on it, destroying the weapon underneath his foot. "Mission accomplished, let's go Stella" he said.

Stella ran to Kaen's side and the two of them returned to GUN headquarters through Kaen's Chaos Control.

"Ah, you two have returned. What all happened on the mission?" the Commander asked.

"The Doctor was expecting us. He eventually held Stella at gunpoint, and threatened to kill her if I didn't give him the weapon back. So I did as he ordered" Kaen answered.

"What? Why did you give him the weapon!?" the Commander asked, stunned.

"I place the life and safety of my friends and partners over my own life and safety, or the mission. I will not abandon my partner!" Kaen answered.

"Sir, we've completed the mission. Kaen destroyed the weapon, as it was too dangerous to be left intact" Stella said.

The Commander sighed with relief at Stella's statement.

"Good, that's what is important" he said. Turning to Kaen, he had a frustrated look on his face. "As for you Kaen, let me make something clear, the mission comes first" the Commander said.

"Well, it would seem we have conflicting ideas then" Kaen retorted.

"Well, here's your payment you two" the Commander said. Handing each of them two-hundred rings, he then walked into a different, off-limits room that only he was allowed to enter.

"_Great, this is perfect. I now have enough rings to pay for that last lesson, and to buy that bouquet of roses. Luckily I saved a good amount from each mission to pay for that bouquet_" Kaen thought.

Stella turned to look at Kaen, a confused expression on her face.

"Did you… really mean what you told the Commander?" she asked.

"Of course, to me, friends are more important than completing a mission. I place my loyalty to my friends before my loyalty to GUN" Kaen answered. He then looked down at the ground. "Sorry to jet, but I have to get to a lesson. I'll see you around, okay?" he asked.

"Alright, I'll see you later" Stella said.

Kaen ran off towards Station Square, and walked into the building for his final lesson in glass-staining, having finished the orb he was working on. The orb was almost completely finished concerning the staining, a combination of multiple shades of blue and green to create the look he was aiming for; that of an ocean. After another half hour, he held the orb up to the light, having finished staining the orb, the colors blended perfectly.

"Okay, now to buy that bouquet of roses…" Kaen said to himself. Walking out of the building, he headed back over to the florist shop.

"Oh, you're back. What is it now?" the florist asked, an annoyed tone in his voice.

"You know, maybe if you were actually courteous to your customers, you'd be making more sales" Kaen said, getting frustrated with the florist. "Anyway, I'm here to buy a bouquet of a dozen red roses" he continued.

"Of course, for someone special?" the florist asked, suddenly interested.

"You could say that…" Kaen said, blushing. Handing over the five-hundred rings, the florist went into the back and brought back a bouquet of a dozen red roses, the roses having completely opened.

"Most prefer the roses closed up, but to be honest, I prefer them when they're open, it just seems to symbolize honesty, and a willingness to open up, if you ask me" the florist stated, smiling.

"That's an interesting way to put it. Thank you" Kaen said. Taking the bouquet, he then walked away from the florist.

"Good luck!" the florist said.

"There, I finally have everything. Lousy stinking florist... a bouquet of a dozen roses for five-hundred rings. Ridiculous..." Kaen muttered to himself, as he was trying to find Stella. In his left hand, he held the glass orb he'd spent the past week making, after paying for glassblowing and staining lessons. The orb had an intricate design of the ocean on it. In Kaen's right hand was the bouquet of the dozen roses.

With Stella however, she was talking to Hero in her room, who had wanted to ask her something.

"What is it you wanted to ask me Hero?" Stella asked, curiosity dominating her mind.

"Well..." Hero had started to stay. He then stopped, as he saw Kaen enter the room, his hands behind his back. "I wanted to ask you if... you wanted to be my girlfriend" he continued.

Kaen stood there, nervous, anxious about what Stella's answer would be to Hero's question.

"I'd be glad to be your girlfriend!" Stella stated, joy evident in her voice.

The sound of shattering glass filled the room, and Stella whirled about, to see Kaen. Behind him were the thousands of shards of the glass orb he had crafted, which he dropped out of shock, his mouth agape.

Kaen, still holding the bouquet of roses behind his back, lit them aflame, reducing them to nothing but ashes as black as Hero's clothing, and bolted out of the room, devastated, tears rolling down his face.

Stella turned back to Hero and smiled. Hero was smiling back at her, but when she turned her head to look at the broken glass, his smile turned into a smirk.

Shadow was watching the events play out, and his fists were clenched in frustration. "_He was out to hurt Kaen. He knew Kaen had been taking up GUN missions to get the rings he needed to pay for everything, and he didn't ask until he saw Kaen enter the room. He wanted Kaen to hear Stella's answer. This guy... he's just out to hurt anyone who gets in his way_" Shadow thought, enraged.

* * *

**Wow, Hero's a creep, huh? Well, there's more of the tension between Kaen and Hero in future chapters.**

**Until next time... later!**


	4. The Grudge Match Continues

**Hero's going to get what's coming to him, Shadow'll make sure of that...**

* * *

Four hours later, at the G.U.N. headquarters, Kaen was busy in the training room, brutally attacking training dummies to vent his frustration. Comically, he had the dummies customized to look like Hero, to make it easier for him to relieve himself of his anger and frustration. His favorite blows to land on the dummies were to the face, and in the fork of Hero's legs. "That lousy stinking creep, he knew I had feelings for Stella, he knew it! But he waited until I was in there to ask her… he doesn't really care about her, he just wants payback for my comments to him." His rage reached its breaking point, and with a well placed roundhouse kick to the dummy's head, it was knocked off the lifeless doll. "What I wouldn't give to be able to do that to him in reality."

Other soldiers and agents of G.U.N. had stopped what they were doing to watch Kaen as he trained. They looked on in awe, fear, and jealousy as he destroyed dummy after dummy. Several of them heard what he said, and sympathized with the furious hedgehog, knowing that if anything, Kaen's reaction was reasonable. "That just isn't right…" one of them murmured. His voice was saturated with disgust at what Hero had done.

"Tell me about it. If I were that guy, I wouldn't want Kaen as an enemy. His temper's shorter than Shadow's, but he is just as strong and fast!" another of the soldiers stated in a hushed tone to the one who had previously spoken.

Kaen continued his assault on the myriad of dummies, destroying them one by one as they kept turning up. His gloves were torn due to hours of pummeling the dummies with blow after blow, his knuckles bleeding. He didn't care though, the pain in his hands was nothing compared to his rage, hatred and agony about what Hero had done. Finally, the next two punches took their toll. The dummy burst into pieces as the blow connected, straw and cloth spreading everywhere. The state of the dummy was the least concern the onlookers had however. Kaen writhed on the ground, his arms tucked in towards his chest, yelling in agony. The pain of the training finally sank in, and Kaen was little more than a shuddering mass on the ground.

Two of the agents ran over to Kaen and lifted him off of the ground. "We need a doctor!" one of them exclaimed. As if on cue, Stella ran through the door, following another of the G.U.N. soldiers who was watching Kaen train. He left the room to find Stella as soon as Kaen started writhing on the ground. The two agents who lifted Kaen off the ground set him down gently onto the floor.

"Oh my God… Kaen!" Stella shouted, concerned. She ran to his side and knelt down on the ground. "What happened to him?" she asked one of the standers-by. A cross tone was in her voice, annoyed by the fact that everyone was simply standing there gawking, rather than trying to help.

"He was training for the past two hours, non-stop. He destroyed another dummy, punching it twice more and it exploded. And that's when he started writhing on the ground in agony. His arms are crossed, tucked and held close to his chest," the G.U.N. agent answered, a nervous tone in her voice. She was set off by Stella's harsh tone, she'd never seen or heard her angry before.

Stella pulled Kaen's arms apart so she could examine his hands. When she tapped them with a finger, Kaen shouted in pain. The scream caused Stella to sigh out of pity and concern. "His hands are broken… in at least five places each." She turned to one of the two G.U.N. soldiers who stayed, the rest having left the area. "I need you to get me plaster, so I can make the casts to keep his bones in place."

The soldier saluted Stella and ran off to find plaster to form the casts. The other soldier stood by Stella as she cleaned the patches of skin on Kaen's hands that were torn up from the abuse he put his hands through. As she cleaned the wounds, she looked at Kaen with concern. "Are you going to be alright?"

Kaen's vision started to turn black. The loss of blood was starting to affect him. He struggled to keep himself conscious, but it was all in vain. Kaen's eyes closed, he was unable to keep himself conscious any longer. His vision faded, everything became blurry, and then… nothing, only the black that you see in an abyss.

"Kaen!" Stella shouted.

______________________

Shadow was looking for Hero while the events with Kaen were taking place. Hero had slipped away from him, after he had asked Stella out. Shadow was out to make sure that Hero got a message, that message being to leave Kaen alone. He may not have liked Kaen too much, in fact, he thought Kaen was downright annoying and arrogant, but toying with another's emotions was taking things too far in Shadow's eyes. His disposition was one of calm persistence. His determination to find Hero could easily be perceived as disturbing, the fact that in his borderline obsessive search for Hero he remained eerily calm. His demeanor was comparable to the calm before the storm, or the eye of a hurricane.

Finally he saw the blue avian walking through Station Square's main block. A scowl crossed Shadow's face, and he walked over towards him. Hero saw Shadow coming and bolted, afraid of Shadow. The azure avian was fast, but his speed couldn't compare with that of the ebony hedgehog. He was overtaken by the black hedgehog, an outcome that was inevitable, considering Shadow's speed. The midnight black hedgehog's skin shone in the sunlight as he grabbed Hero by the collar of his shirt and lifted him into the air with a single hand.

"What do you… want from me?" Hero asked, fear deep in his voice.

"I want to make this perfectly clear to you. Stay away from my brother, or else" Shadow stated. His brow furrowed in anger, a scowl across his face.

"What do you mean 'or else?'" Hero inquired. He was trembling in Shadow's grip. The falcon didn't dare to make any sort of move to try and escape. Such a move would be folly, and he'd only be worse off because of it.

"Or I'll beat you to an inch of your life, that's what!" Shadow snapped. His temper was starting to flare at Hero's stupid questions, when the answers were painfully obvious. At Shadow's words, Hero smirked for some odd reason.

"You're bluffing, you wouldn't dare harm me in front of all these witnesses, where you could be arrested," the avian said. His ice blue eyes seemed to dance in merriment as he mocked the ebony hedgehog threatening him, whose frustration was ever-growing. It was Shadow's turn to smirk, however. His dark smile put Hero off, and he was once again trembling.

"I just love when people tell me I'm bluffing. My brother made that same mistake," the midnight-skinned hedgehog stated, the sunlight making his skin shine. A dark laugh escaped from his throat, and he cracked his knuckles. "Relax… it'll only hurt for a week!" His arm sailed through the air, his fist going straight towards the falcon's face.

___________________________

Another two hours or so passed by. In the east wing of the hospital, a door was being guarded by a pair of G.U.N. soldiers. Kaen was still unconscious, though his wrists and hands were placed into casts, stretching up his forearm, resting on the cot in the room. Stella was sitting on a stool next to the bed, a melancholy expression on her visage. "What happened to you?" She closed her eyes, frustrated at the turn of events. Her eyes shot open as she heard a soft, pained groan, and she looked towards Kaen. "Kaen, was that you?"

Kaen started to stir, and his eyelids opened to reveal his scarlet eyes, which still seemed to burn with life and excitement, though not as much as they had before the ordeal. "Stella? Is that you?" he asked, his voice feeble. Each breath he took was a pained gasp of air. He turned his head to face Stella and gave her a weak smile. "Where… where are we?"

Stella smiled, overjoyed that Kaen had regained consciousness. "We're in the hospital. You broke your hands and wrists while training. You also passed out from the blood loss," she explained. "By the way… what caused you to become so angry that you ignored the pain anyway?"

"I uh… I d-don't think that detail's important, St-Stella," Kaen stammered, nervous. Even though he hated Hero, and how he was dating Stella, he didn't want to be a terrible friend and try to ruin Stella's relationship. He would rather have Hero date her than for him to lose her as a friend.

"Why isn't it important Kaen? Kaen, you can tell me anything. We're friends after all," Stella stated. Her tone was sweet and innocent, trying to get him to be comfortable enough to tell her.

"Okay, okay… your boyfriend, Hero... well, he's a selfish, arrogant person, and he just isn't likable," Kaen said solemnly. He looked away from her, as he didn't want to see the expression on her face. An expression, he was sure, of anger. Her eyes were what he feared most, as he had learned through Shadow that a person's eyes, and what could be seen in them, conveyed the person's emotions. Kaen's statement caught Stella off guard, and an air of shock was present about her figure.

"Why would you say that?" she asked, a cross, hurt tone in her voice. She believed he was lying, that he was saying that to hurt her.

"It's because it's the truth, Stella. He's only using you. He knows that… that…" he started to say. He left off, choking on his own words. Something that felt like a lump formed in his throat, making it difficult for him to tell her. He didn't want to continue, though he knew she would simply press him to go on with what he was saying.

"He knows what, Kaen?" Stella inquired. She was interested in what he had to say, if only to fuel her own curiosity. Kaen had always been there at her side, when they became a team. She was torn between the anger that was rising inside of her because of what he was saying about Hero, and the intrigue that went with it, wondering why he would say these things.

"He knows… how I feel about you Stella. How I've… always felt about you," Kaen answered, keeping his gaze away from her. Before Stella could answer, he climbed off of the cot and ran to the door. He used his left hand to turn the door knob, though it was difficult and painful with the cast on, and bolted out of the room and down the hall before anyone could say anything to him.

"Was he trying to tell me that he… loves me?" Stella asked herself. Kaen's flight startled and saddened her more than before.

________________________

Shadow stood over the foolish avian who didn't take him seriously, his arms crossed and his right foot on Hero's chest. Bruises and cuts were to be found all over the falcon's body. Scarlet rivers of blood flowed down Hero's face. "Let this be a lesson to you. Oh, and another thing. This was nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you ever bother my brother again, got it!?" A scowl was imprinted onto his countenance. Hero could only nod and tremble in fear, before he lost consciousness from the blood loss.

Civilians in Station Square merely passed by. They didn't bother trying to get involved, because they knew that if Shadow decided to harm someone in such a way, it must have been with good reason. They all watched as Shadow walked away, heading towards G.U.N. headquarters. As he was walking he accidentally bumped into a girl, around nineteen years of age. Her pelt was a lush, white chromatic shade, as pure as newly fallen snow. Her locks of hair were a shimmering ice blue shade. Over her eyes rested a pair of sunglasses with golden yellow lenses. She wore a sleeveless top that was beige in color, as well as a pair of cargo pants that matched the hue of her top. Her hands and forearms were inside of a pair of long, brown gloves, and a brown sash rested on her waist and hips.

"My apologies, I should have watched where I was going," the girl said. Her voice held a thick British accent. "By the way, my name's Misha. If I may ask, what is your name?"

"I'm Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog. Which species, if I may ask, do you belong to?" the ebony hedgehog inquired, intrigued by her appearance.

"I'm a snow leopard, actually. Not very common around these parts, I suppose. Actually, snow leopards aren't very common in many places," the ivory feline replied.

_________________________

In another building in Station Square, a lime green crocodile was perusing a stack of paperwork. The paperwork was an application to join the Chaotix detective team. The applicant, an albino alligator, sat opposite him. His eyes were closed, and in his grasp was a china cup, filled with tea. The alligator nonchalantly sipped from the cup as Vector, with his ever-present headphones on his head as usual, looked at his application. Finally Vector set the stack of papers down, and the albino alligator lifted his head and opened his eyes, his crimson irises flickering in the light, as if a fire danced within his soul.

"Your application lists many skills here, deduction, clue-gathering, detection, etc." Vector stated. His vermilion eyes peered straight at the albino alligator sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk. "However, how do I really know if this list as true or not, and you aren't just lying to join Chaotix, Mr. Case?"

"Please, just call me Case. What could I possibly have to gain from lying? The only result that would come from lying is that I'd look like an idiot when the time for a case actually arrived," the albino reptile replied. His voice had a dry, uninterested tone to it. "But if you don't believe me, then I'll accompany you on your next case, and prove myself."

"That won't be necessary. Your logic speaks for itself. Welcome to the Chaotix detective team," the lime crocodile stated. He gave a large grin that spread across his face.

________________________

An hour later, Kaen stood on the roof of the hospital, his cast encased arms hanging at his sides. As he looked out over Station Square, he closed his scarlet hued eyes. The amber light of the setting sun, bothered his eyes, and looking into the twilight saddened him more concerning what occurred only an hour ago.

"SONIC!" a feminine voice shouted from behind Kaen.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm not…" Kaen started to say, confused. However, he was grabbed from behind, a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and arms. "Ouch! Okay, not cool, my arms still hurt here!"

"Wait, you're not Sonic!" the girl stated. Kaen turned his head and saw who had grabbed him. He was met by a pair of lustrous green eyes, set into a pink face. She let go of Kaen and held her hands to her mouth, embarrassed. "I'm sorry!" She took one of her hands away from her mouth and hit Kaen over the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground, flat on his face.

"Uh, can you help me up? I can't get myself up since my arms are in casts," Kaen stated.

"Oh, right, sorry about that," the rose colored hedgehog said. She grabbed Kaen by the wrist and pulled him up, careful not to grip is wrist too tightly. When he was finally standing, she got a good look at him, and gasped in surprise. "You look like Shadow! Who are you?"

"My name is Kaen. I guess you could say that I'm Shadow's brother," Kaen answered. "If I may ask, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Amy Rose. Have you seen a blue hedgehog around?" the girl inquired. She walked closer to Kaen and tilted her head, looking innocently at him with a beaming smile on her face.

"No, I haven't. I'm sorry," Kaen answered. When he looked down, he saw a blue hedgehog sitting down at a table with his feet on the improvised footstool. He was leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed. "Wait, is that him?"

Amy looked down where Kaen motioned, and squealed in delight. "SONIC!" Her shout was terrifyingly shrill and startled both Kaen and the blue hedgehog down on the street. The blue hedgehog looked up, and upon seeing Amy, jumped out of his chair.

"Amy!? Oh man, not again…" Sonic stated. He smacked his face with his palm and shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you this? I WON'T MARRY YOU! I'm only fifteen, and you're only twelve!" He then jetted down the street, desperate to get away from her.

"Come on, you're going to help me catch him!" Amy said. She turned her attention to Kaen and grabbed his right arm. Afterwards, she started dragging him across the roof towards the stairwell.

"Ouch! Don't I have a say in this!?" Kaen asked, flustered and annoyed. He sighed and relented when he realized his question was obviously rhetorical, and the answer would be just as obvious. His suspicions were confirmed.

"No, you don't," the pink hedgehog sharply answered.

______________________

After a quick half-hour, Amy, exhausted, was riding on Kaen's back as he started to gain on Sonic. Kaen finally reached Sonic and was right next to him. "So, the rumors are true, you are fast!"

"Fastest thing alive…" the cobalt blue hedgehog said. He gave off his usual grin and gave a "thumbs up" towards Kaen. "You know, you look a lot like Shadow. Why is that?" He looked at Kaen's back and saw Amy.

"I've got you this time Sonic!" she stated. She jumped off of Kaen, her arms outstretched to embrace Sonic. Sonic had other plans however. He sprinted off to the side, running along the side of the building next to him, and avoided Amy's desperate leap. The pink hedgehog merely fell towards the floor. She barely landed on her feet, but quickly fell to her behind on the floor, her sense of balance thrown off completely from her narrow landing. She promptly slammed the ground with her fist when she realized she missed.

Sonic and Kaen had stopped running by that time and turned around to look at Amy. When they saw her on the ground, they burst into laughter. Sonic then looked at Kaen, his green eyes luminescent in the sunlight. "Wait, why are you laughing?"

Kaen fought back his laughter, keeping it into rogue chuckles. "I'm laughing because she dragged me off by arm to try and chase after you. Now that she failed, I think it's funny. Chasing after you was no easy feat I might add."

Sonic got a better look at Kaen, and when he saw the casts on his arms, he shook his head. "That's Amy for you. Whenever she sees me or hears about me, all other thoughts leave her mind. I'm sure it must have hurt when she pulled you by your arm," he said. "Want me to sign it for you?"

"Sure thing," Kaen answered, a smile curving across his face. As Sonic inscribed his signature onto the cast in blue ink, Kaen looked at him. "To answer your question about why I look like Shadow, I'm Kaen. I guess you could say that I'm, well, his brother."

"You're Shadow's brother? Well, I guess I'm not surprised. It's no wonder you were so fast," the blue hedgehog remarked. "Hey, anytime you want a race, let me know. I'll be waiting." The scarlet hedgehog raised his right hand in the air, ignoring the fact that he had a cast on, and the cobalt blue hedgehog slapped it with his own right hand.

"Sonic, you're not getting away this time!" Amy said. She ran off towards Sonic, her Piko Piko hammer in her hands, and fire burning in her eyes.

"Uh-oh, that's my cue to scram. Catch 'ya later!" Sonic stated. He raced off in the opposite direction. Nothing more than a blue blur was left in his wake as the cobalt hedgehog sped off, desperate to get away from his stalker. Amy was hot in pursuit, not willing to let him slip by again, not without knocking him out for eluding her once again.

The scarlet hedgehog merely shook his head at the sight, and burst into laughter. "Those two are a riot. It'll certainly be interesting to meet them again." Kaen turned about, and headed back towards the hospital, his dark mood from earlier having been lifted due to the recent events.

____________________

"So… let me get this straight. You're an environmentalist, out to travel around the world and save any animals you see from trouble, such as that Bengal tiger near you that's missing its tail, and that golden-mantled tamarin?" Shadow asked. What he had been told by the ivory snow leopard intrigued him greatly. To prove her claims, Misha had showed him the Bengal tiger and the golden-mantled tamarin. "Well… how do I put this? You sound like a hippie to me."

Misha's brow furrowed at the ebony hedgehog's remark. "Well, believe what you want to believe, but I'm not a hippie." She rolled her eyes in annoyance. The jet black hedgehog before her merely shook his head and left. "I get the feeling that there's more to him than he's told me about."

_________________________

The blue avian had been at G.U.N. headquarters for nearly two hours now, waiting for the Commander. There were few signs of his beating by Shadow, at least, that weren't bandaged. The rivers of blood that had trickled down his face had been cleaned off a while ago. Hero's ice blue eyes flickered in the light of the room as he tapped his foot on the floor, having grown impatient with waiting for the heterochromic Commander. Finally, the Commander stepped out of his office and walked over to the falcon.

"My apologies, but I've been very busy today. We've been receiving several reports that Dr. Eggman has been busy trying to get to the Space Colony ARK. We believe he's interested in setting up a new base of operations there" he stated. At the Commander's words, an idea clicked into Hero's mind.

"Actually sir, Eggman has already launched himself up to the ARK, and has landed there," the blue avian said. His blond ponytail swayed with his movements. "That's how I have these cuts and bruises; I had to escape from Eggman's base. I was spying on what he was doing, but his mechs found me, so I had to get out of there as fast as I could."

"That was a foolish thing to do, young man. But I appreciate the information. Now I need to think of an agent to send up there," the Commander answered.

"Well, why not send Agent Kaen up there? He's certainly capable," the blue falcon remarked. Hero knew about Kaen's acrophobia; he had been snooping around the G.U.N. headquarters and heard Kaen and Stella talking about it.

"No, he isn't in any condition to go up there. His wrists are broken, and he has a severe case of acrophobia," the Commander stated. His eyes flickered as he wondered why Hero would suggest Kaen to be sent up.

"Shadow and Kaen are unique in the fact that they do not require a Chaos Emerald to induce Chaos Control. He could use that to get around, and to neutralize Eggman and any of his mechs," Hero replied. "There's also the fact that his legs aren't broken, and he could use those to defend himself. But, if you do send him up, don't tell him where he's going. If he knows, he'll panic anyway. Keep him blindfolded until the shuttle is in space." A note of triumph struck in his mind when he saw the Commander nod in agreement.

"Very well, Agent Kaen will be contacted immediately," the heterochromic Commander stated. He then turned and walked back into his office. The azure bird smirked, his plan coming to fruition.

"Best of all though, that fool Shadow won't know that I'm the one responsible, so he won't harm me. Who's the genius now, you overconfident spike-head? Eggman isn't really up there," the falcon mused. He strode out the doors of the headquarters, a devilish look to his eyes.

________________________

Kaen was strolling down the street en route to the hospital. He stopped just outside the doors and was about to open them when his wrist communicator went off. "Of course… relay the message," he said. The communicator responded to his voice command.

"Agent Kaen, you have been assigned a top-secret, high-priority solo mission. For the purpose of you meeting the requirements to take such a mission, you have been promoted to the status of a full agent," a voice chimed from over the device. "The details of this mission are to be disclosed upon arrival at the destination, all I can tell you is that we have received confirmation that Dr. Eggman has reached the site where he had planned to set up his base.

"You are to be escorted to the means of transportation by another agent, and you will be blindfolded until you reach the destination. Do you accept the mission?" the contact inquired.

"I accept. I will wait here for the escort," Kaen answered. As if on cue, a G.U.N. agent walked over to him.

"Agent Kaen, put this blindfold on. I'll grab your arm where the cast isn't located and guide you along," the agent stated. She handed him a black band of cloth, which he promptly tied over his eyes.

"Lead the way then," Kaen responded. The agent grasped his upper right arm and pulled lead him through the streets as if he were a doll being dragged by a little girl.

_____________________

Half an hour later, they finally arrived at their destination. The agent walked Kaen inside of the shuttle after crossing the bridge, and then quickly left the shuttle and crossed the bridge. The bridge separated from the shuttle and pulled away as the boosters on the rockets ignited. The rockets propelled the shuttle through the atmosphere, the stage thrusters falling away when they exhausted their fuel, and fell back towards the Earth. Kaen realized where he was; not needing to see what was going on.

"I'm on a shuttle… heading into space," the scarlet hedgehog stated. His breathing was frantic, shallow and quick. Trepidation filed his voice. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'M GONNA DIE!"

The shuttle finally docked on the research facility, but Kaen remained where he was, huddled on the ground, a shuddering, whimpering mass. After a good twenty minutes, he finally snapped out of his anxiety attacked and nervously made his way into the defunct colony. He finally made it to the abandoned lab, where both he and Shadow were sent out of the colony in the capsules. Calmly waiting inside of the lab was the maniacal doctor himself, in the walker he had used back when he first learned of the colony, when he was allies with Shadow and Rouge to power the Eclipse Cannon.

"Ahh, we meet again. This time however, I face you myself," Eggman remarked.

"Do you really think you can beat me Doctor? I stopped you the last time we met. I'm here to take you into custody. Come quietly with me, and you won't be harmed," the red hued hedgehog stated. His eyes burned with a fire that raged furiously within them.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline your demands," the Doctor retorted.

"Then you leave me no choice. We do this the hard way," Kaen stated. He leaped into the air, and descended towards Eggman with a diving kick. Eggman however anticipated this maneuver, and fired off a laser. The laser scathed the upper arm of Kaen's right arm, dealing a deep wound to it. The blow and Kaen's momentum sent him spiraling towards the center of the room. He landed on the floor of the ivory pad.

"Hmm, this certainly looks familiar. Ah yes, I remember now. This is the exact predicament that pesky hedgehog Sonic was in," Eggman stated. He pressed a green button on the console near him, and a glass capsule encased Kaen, entrapping him. The bright red hedgehog stood up and clasped his left hand over the wound, blood leaking from it.

The doctor directed his walker over to the outside of the capsule. "Bon voyage." The capsule shot out of the lab, and started to plummet towards the blue sphere below that was the Earth.

Kaen was once again having another anxiety attack. His life flashed before his eyes, the memories of that fateful first encounter with heights flooded into his mind. "Again… again I have to deal with this. At this rate, blood loss is going to kill me. I may as well just close my eyes… and wait for death to claim me." His eyes slowly closed, as his consciousness completely left him from the blood loss.

Outside of the capsule… a single mech flew towards it, and quickly seized it. Its prize in hand, it propelled itself towards the Earth far below…

* * *

**I hate Eggman, don't you? But hey, at least he's more of a villain in this fanfic, as opposed to how he'd always take a back seat to other villains. R&R**

**Until next time... later!**


	5. Another Rescue Mission!

Three days had passed since Kaen had undertaken the mission to ARK that he had been assigned. There was still no sign of him, at any of his usual haunts. The agents and Commander were growing restless, as were Shadow and Stella. The Commander began to suspect the worst had happened; that either Kaen had been captured by the megalomaniac scientist, or that he was KIA.

Shadow was none the wiser that Kaen's disappearance was Hero's doing. He paced back and forth in the Commander's office, having been allowed in by the Commander. He attempted to wrap his mind about what could possibly have transpired. He was also furious with the Commander, who sat at his desk, his head hanging low as he watched Shadow meander back and forth across the room. "You knew he was acrophobic, Commander, and you still sent him up into space. The ARK was where his phobia originated! He was certain to have had an anxiety attack from the stress." He gazed at the Commander, fury in his eyes.

"You're right, Agent Shadow. My decision was made by a severe lapse in judgment. For that, I apologize. I shouldn't have let…" he had started to say. A rap on his door drew his attention, and forced him to stop. "Enter, the door is unlocked," he stated. The door opened inward and Stella strolled in, Rouge at her side. Her chestnut hair wasn't in its usual ponytail; she had decided to let her hair down for a while, to experiment with her look.

"Any word on Kaen?" she asked. Her hazel eyes shone with worry. "What happened to him? It's been three days and there still hasn't been any sign of him." Rouge looked at her with concern.

"Don't you already have a boyfriend though?" the white bat asked. Her head tilted to its side, deep in thought. Shadow merely huffed in annoyance at the mention of Hero.

"As I was telling Shadow, no, I haven't heard anything about Kaen or from him. I made the decision to send him up, based on what someone told me," the Commander stated, interrupting. He said that he was at Eggman's base when he saw the shuttle take the doctor up to the ARK. He was acting as a spy at the base, but he was found by a group of mechs. While he was making his escape, he was wounded badly."

"Who was this consultant?" Rouge asked. Her face had a passive expression on it.

The Commander turned his face towards Shadow, Stella and Rouge. His amber eye shone iridescently within the light of the office. His blue eye also gleamed, but it seemed to glow in a melancholy appearance. "The consultant told me that Kaen would be best for the mission, and it would be better to keep him blindfolded so he wouldn't know where he was. As for who he was… it was a blue falcon. He looked to be about seventeen. He also had ice blue eyes, blond hair and dressed mostly in black."

Rage revealed itself on Shadow's face as he heard his superior's description. His neck tensed with fury, and he slammed a fist onto the Commander's desk. "Your consultant was Hero the Falcon!? You trusted him? The first thing he told you was a lie. He didn't get those injuries from Eggman's mechs, I dealt them myself!" Stella and Rouge gasped in shock at his exclamation, but the ebony hedgehog brushed it off. "He messed with Kaen's emotions; that's why I went to talk to him.

"But he became so arrogant, so cocky, that he assumed I was bluffing with my threats that I would beat him to an inch of his life if he hurt my brother again. So I followed through, but it wasn't as severe as

what I told him I would do if he harmed Kaen again," Shadow continued.

"Wait… what do you mean he messed with Kaen's emotions, that Hero, my boyfriend, hurt him?" Stella asked, puzzled. She looked at Shadow, a quizzical look in her eyes.

"Oh for the love of… are you _that_ blind!?" the midnight hedgehog snapped. "Kaen's in love with you! That shattered glass, those ashes… they were things that Kaen had agonizingly gone through a week's worth of missions without rest for! He had been taking glassblowing and staining lessons, using the rings that were his salary to pay for them.

"He made you a glass orb, decorated and stained like the ocean. And those ashes were a bouquet of roses! Hero knew that Kaen loved you, and he wanted to get back at Kaen for the comments he made. Hero doesn't love you at all; he's using you to wreak vengeance on my brother. That's why he asked you when Kaen was in the same room, he knew it would devastate my brother when you said yes," Shadow finished.

Stella, Rouge and the Commander could only stare at Shadow in astonishment after his outburst. The snow hued bat looked at Stella, fearful for what her reaction would be. A reaction she expected, of tears, both of sorrow at what was supposedly done, and of fear towards Shadow for snapping at her. The treasure hunter's suspicions were confirmed; tears started to form in the vixen's eyes.

"All this time… I was being used, and to hurt my friend, who cares about me as more than a friend? Is this… is this true?" the milk chocolate furred vixen inquired. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, sadness and disbelief gripping at her.

"You know me well enough Stella. I don't lie, I don't bluff, you should have realized that by now," the black hedgehog curtly replied. His arms were crossed before his chest as he glowered at Stella. Her next reaction shocked even him. An expression of fury showed itself on her countenance, and she glanced at Shadow with a determined gleam in her eyes.

"Where's Hero? I'm going to wipe that smirk off his face and ruffle his feathers," she stated, anger in her voice. Her sharp remark brought a smirk to Shadow's face. Her hazel eyes met his crimson pair, determination gleaming in both sets.

"He usually haunts the market corner of Station Square. He's usually leaning on the wall of the florist's shop and…" Shadow had started to answer. The sound of the monitor behind the Commander's wall coming to life, however, had caused him to stop.

Everyone present in the room turned to face the monitor, scowls forming across their visages. The figure that appeared on the screen was none other than the diabolical Dr. Eggman himself. His rotund form blocked a machine that was in the background, leaving them all to wonder what its purpose could be.

"Dr. Eggman… why have you contacted me?" the Commander barked, frustrated already by the events that were brought to light.

"I am here to give you an offer, Commander," the doctor stated. Just as he was about to continue, Shadow quickly interrupted.

"Your offers always turn out to be ultimatums, doctor. Just spit it out and deliver our catch twenty-two already," the ebony hedgehog sharply remarked. A cross tone was in his voice, frustrated with the pleasantries and formalities Eggman always used.

"Fine then, I'll be blunt. You will bring me the three Chaos Emeralds that the military possesses," Eggman stated. His frustration with Shadow's refusal to be formal was clearly evident, and brought a minuscule smirk to the midnight hedgehog's face.

"And if we refuse?" Rouge asked, annoyed. She detested the idea of giving up such priceless gems to the doctor, as the only reason he could want them is for some scheme to conquer the world.

The doctor then stepped slightly to the side, revealing the machine. The assembly of the four soon gasped at the sight of the machine. The sight… was an imprisoned Kaen. He was held in a sort of energy prison, his arms and legs encased in several inches of titanium steel alloy, as he was splayed in a spread-eagled fashion.

"If you refuse, your precious agent will suffer dire consequences. Here's an example for all of you," Eggman replied.

He walked over to the control panel on the side of the energy prison, and pulled a lever. A current of electricity coursed over the beams of energy that connected the prison to the sides of the machine and zipped across the beams of zero-point energy. The current of electricity struck Kaen and he screamed out in agony.

Shadow grunted in rage at the display and pointed at Dr. Eggman. "For a man with an I.Q. of three-hundred, you certainly aren't that bright. What's to stop me from breaking into your base, taking you into custody and freeing him?" He smirked in triumph.

"Am I stupid, Shadow? I never told you where my base is. By the time you find the correct base, it'll be too late, and Kaen will be dead. Make your choice carefully. You have twelve hours to make your decision," the doctor stated. He then ended the transmission, and the screen went black.

"We'll see about that, I'm sure I know where he is," the black hedgehog retorted. He then turned towards the Commander, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "Permission to engage in a rescue mission Commander?"

"Granted, Agent Stella will accompany you two, as she is Kaen's partner," the Commander replied.

The ebony hedgehog, the ivory bat and the chocolate vixen nodded and swiftly exited the room. They broke into a run, desperate to find their friend's captor. Time was not on their side, and they knew it. Stella had several things filing through her mind, the most prominent thoughts being what she would do to her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend for his treachery. Shadow could feel the waves of fury rolling off of the vixen, and more than sympathized with her.

As the trio continued with their journey, they ended up in the market district of Station Square. Just as the midnight hedgehog had stated earlier, the blue avian was leaning against a wall of the florist's shop, a smug look on his face. Stella's hands balled up into fists, and she quickly stormed over to the falcon. The bird's azure feathers shone in the sunlight, his blond ponytail floating in the updraft that had just kicked up. He turned his head in Stella's direction and smiled upon seeing her, a jovial look flashing in his ice blue irises.

"Hey Stella, what's going…" he had started to say. Whatever words he had on the tip of his tongue were soon dropped as he saw Stella's fist sail through the air. The blow connected cleanly, and his head snapped backwards from the impact of the strike. He clutched his face in his hands, howling in pain. When he gazed at Stella's countenance, he grimaced in fear at the rage burning brightly in her emerald eyes.

"If you think that's painful, you don't know what pain is yet!" the vixen snapped. Her body was shaking in fury as she glared at Hero. She continued to pummel the falcon before her, the blows landing on his visage every time. His face soon became heavily bruised from the hits she brought to it, her raging waxing to its fullest.

"Why are you doing this? I thought we were dating!" Hero asked, his voice pained from the injuries he was taking. He looked at his girlfriend in anguish and fear, trembling. She merely stared at him with a cold glint in her lustrous jade eyes.

"You know why. You knew how Kaen felt about me, but you were just using me to hurt him! You only asked me out to get back at him for his comments about you when the two of you met," she snapped, frustrated. A well placed jump kick knocked Hero flat onto his back on the ground beneath him. "And now, Kaen's a prisoner of Dr. Eggman, being tortured, because you set him up! We're _through_ Hero!" The sapphire blue avian was about to rise to his feet, but before he could, Stella stomped hard on the fork of his legs. Shadow turned his torso away, shielding his eyes with his right arm, knowing how painful that was.

Hero shouted in pain from having his most sensitive area stomped on by Stella's boot. He quickly covered the region she struck with his hands and curled up in pain. He attempted to speak, but his voice was lost to whimpers of anguish. The brown fox continued to glare at the downed falcon, and raised her hands into the air.

Tendrils of water snaked from her palms and enveloped Hero's arms and legs. Her brown hair weaved through the air, flowing in the breeze, as her green eyes had a glow of hatred and malice in them. "You know that water, when there's enough pressure, can crush objects. Well, I promise you that is what's coming your way." As she spoke, she started to gradually apply pressure to his limbs. Eventually, several spine-chilling cracks were heard, and Hero's arms and legs went limp at his sides.

Shadow merely huffed at the sound, pleased by Stella's actions. "I warned you, Hero, that if you harmed my brother again, I'd beat you to an inch of your life." He looked at the azure avian on the ground and smirked. "But, Stella did far worse than I ever could. You know what they say, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,' and your actions definitely turned her against you."

Rouge nodded in agreement with her partner, and looked at Stella, an apathetic expression imprinted onto her visage. "Let's go, we still have to rescue your partner. I'm sure that you'll want to see him again, and safe." The ebony hedgehog and the brown vixen ran off in another direction, followed shortly by the ivory bat as she ran after them. "Shadow, where do you think Kaen is?"

"From the surroundings of the room he had Kaen locked in, the walls looked like those in the Duke of Soleanna's old laboratory," the midnight hedgehog answered. The trio continued onwards, after Shadow had called in for transport to the kingdom of Soleanna. They were stopped however, by a blue blur zipping through the periphery of their vision. Stopping in front of them was the cobalt blue hero.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Sonic inquired. He tapped his foot on the ground, interested in keeping his feet moving in some sort of way. As he looked at the three of them, he registered that Kaen wasn't with them. "Hey, where's Kaen? Isn't he a G.U.N. agent like you?"

"He's been captured by Dr. Eggman, thanks to my ex-boyfriend," Stella replied. She rolled her bright green eyes, frustrated. She sighed and looked dejectedly down at the ground.

"Hey, if you need help, Tails, Knuckles and I have a real talent at breaking into his base. I'll just get the guys together faster than you can say 'Chaos Control!'" the cobalt hedgehog stated. With that he sped off to find his two-tailed best friend, and the gullible echidna.

Shadow looked at the ground and shook his head, amused. "Well, having those three along won't hurt our chances. If anything, they'll increase our possibility for success several times." The jet black hedgehog crossed his arms, and tapped his foot on the ground, waiting for the speed demon to return.

Almost as quickly as he left, the self-proclaimed fastest thing alive returned with his two companions in tow. Rouge smirked at the sight of the crimson echidna at Sonic's left and quickly thought of a way to get under his skin. "Well, if it isn't the second-rate treasure hunter… it's been a while." Her grin broadened when Knuckles tensed at her statement.

"Listen here you, if I remember correctly, after every time we've faced off for a treasure, I've always beaten you to the punch," the red monotreme snapped. His violet eyes flashed with annoyance at the bat. Sonic laughed at his friend's statement, amused by the constant squabbling between the two. "Remember, back on ARK? We fought over the Master Emerald, and you nearly fell into the lava."

"You want to make this next mission a contest? I'll beat you, I'm sure of that," the snow hued bat remarked. Shadow and Stella merely slapped their hands to their faces, frustrated

"Can we _please_ continue? We're wasting time here… the doctor will most likely kill Kaen if we don't get there in time," Shadow quipped. He continued on towards the dock, awaiting the transport that was set up. The others quickly followed after him, not wishing to waste any more of the already little time they had. Quickly boarding the boat, its engine roared, and it away it set for Soleanna.

_______________________

Two hours later, the boat finally arrived at Soleanna Castle Town. The sextet stepped off the boat, Sonic holding his forehead with his right hand, slightly nauseous. Tails looked at his best friend concerned, his twin tails swishing up and down. "Sonic, are you alright?"

"Not really… I hate boats," the cobalt hedgehog replied. He shook his head, trying to clear himself of his nauseous feeling. It didn't work, however, all it did was augment his sickened feeling. "I hate boats, I hate water… I don't think I can hold my stomach any longer."

He ran over to the side of the dock, laid down over the side, and heaved, unable to keep his nausea down. He eventually stood back up after finishing his retching. Shadow smirked as the cobalt hedgehog returned to them. "Well, if you're finished, we have a friend to rescue." They rushed off to the center of the Castle Town, and entered the Mirror of Soleanna that led directly to the old laboratory.

_________________________

A large door stood in their way after cutting through several rooms. There were five keyholes in the door. Knuckles and Rouge looked at each other, their eyes glinting with determination. The ruby skinned echidna raised his hands in the air, staring at the bat before him. "Alright then, looks like our challenge is ago. Whoever finds three keys wins."

The two split off, searching with unnatural fervor for the keys. Within thirty minutes, they regrouped with the others, having found all the keys. Rouge looked hesitant and uneasy. She reluctantly pulled out two keys, bringing a smirk to the red echidna's lips. He held out three keys in his gloved hand, and then threw his fist in the air, letting out a cheer of triumph. The ivory bat crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance. "Whatever, I let you win."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, bat girl," Knuckles quipped.

They finally made their way through the lab after tearing through countless mechs, and reached the room where they believed Dr. Eggman was holding Kaen. Sure enough, they saw the cage suspended between two metallic pillars, one of which held the control panel. The heavyset megalomaniac stood at the control panel, setting the commands to send electricity coursing through the zero-point energy prison. Kaen continued to scream in agony as the voltage increased gradually.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would all get here. Did you bring the Chaos Emeralds?" the scientist inquired. He didn't even turn around, yet he was aware of their presence.

"The deal's off Doctor. There are six of us here, you can't win, and we'll destroy that machine before you can kill Kaen. Come with us quietly, now," Shadow ordered. His eyes gleamed like rubies that held a fire within them, burning intensely with rage.

"I don't think so… and now Kaen will pay the price for your treachery," Eggman retorted. He pulled another lever on the console, sending a good twenty-thousand volts of electricity into Kaen's imprisonment. The scarlet hued hedgehog's back arched as he bellowed louder than ever in torment.

"You have a sick mind, 'Doctor!'" Sonic quipped, horrified at the sight and sound of Kaen's anguish. His hands balled up into fists and he rushed straight at the tormentor, anger burning fiercely in comparison to a wildfire. The orange fox and crimson echidna reached after him, trying to stop him, but they would have had as much luck attempting to catch the wind. He curled into a ball as he ran, and rocketed off towards the scientist in his signature spin dash.

With the press of a red button, a curved barrier of fifteen-inch thick titanium steel alloy sealed the Doctor and control panel off, effectively protecting them. Sonic's spin dash merely ricocheted off of the wall, and landed beside Shadow. The ebony hedgehog crossed his arms in frustration at the sudden turn of events. "That didn't do anything. Stand back, I'll blast it open!" With a quick bound high into the air, the black hedgehog brought his right arm over his left shoulder. His skates brought their ability into effect, keeping him hovering in the air as a yellow-white arc of lightning surrounded his right hand. "Chaos… Spear!"

The bolt of pure electricity shot straight for the barrier, as Shadow backflipped in the air and landed nimbly on his feet. The arc of lightning merely dissipated on contact with the wall, much to the chagrin of the group. Stella looked towards the metal encasing Kaen's limbs, and thought of something. "Guys, if we can't destroy the barrier, let's destroy those makeshift shackles. They're not as thick as the barrier." Knuckles, Shadow and Sonic nodded their heads in agreement.

The chocolate vixen wrapped her arms in water, before freezing them into blades of ice that encased her arms. Shadow rushed straight at the zero-point energy cage, before he leaped into the air. He quickly charged up another bolt of sizzling electrical energy, before firing it off at the weight holding the scarlet hedgehog's right leg. The encasing promptly shattered.

The crimson echidna ran straight at the prison before bringing his fist to the metal surrounding Kaen's left leg, quickly reducing the shackle to scrap. His legs merely hung in the air as he was still held by the metal encasing his arms. The cobalt hedgehog swiftly took care of the shackle on Kaen's left arm. As he leaped towards it, he performed a tight roll and descended into a flying kick. The sheer momentum caused the metal to vibrate, before it was obliterated. "Alright, just one more to go!" the hedgehog and echidna exclaimed in unison.

Stella quickly slashed at the final piece of metal with the ice that surrounded her arms. The metal was cut to ribbons by the sheer hardness of the ice, as if it were merely talc before a diamond. The brown fox allowed the ice to melt as she saw her partner and friend fall down from where he was suspended in the air. She quickly caught the red hedgehog, and brought his head to her chest. "Kaen, are you alright? Please… don't be dead."

She was answered by a bright smile from the severely injured figure in her arms, his arms hanging weightlessly at his sides. "I'm fine, Stella. Thank you… all of you." His breathing was shallow and ragged, and he soon fell into unconsciousness, the torture having taken its toll. In the excitement of the events, they were unaware that the cruel scientist eluded them once more, until it was far too late, and he was long gone. Sonic merely groaned in frustration.

"Ugh, he got away…" the cobalt hedgehog lamented. He quickly looked at Shadow and nodded. "Come on, we should get him back to your boss. This guy really needs the rest."

With his words, they quickly turned and left the lab that was once again abandoned. They made their way out without incident, the mechs having fled with their creator. Stella looked at the ground, deep in thought. _Kaen… you love me, you have for a while, from what Shadow says. I guess… now that my mind is clear of Hero's influence, I know now. I love you too, Kaen. I want you to recover soon…so I can tell you._ The septet; their number increased from six to seven due to the unconscious Kaen's recovery, strolled onto the boat, which soon left for Station Square.


End file.
